"The best answer is really, I’m American. My particulars may be unusual or unique, but a lot of us don’t come from any one place. A lot of us have moved around, or our families are immigrants, or we’ve teetered on a boundary of social class, or we have a foot in two different cultures."
So true. I left my other comment before I finished reading, naturally, but this was a great one. It heartens me every time to remember I'm not alone in still believing in us. Our flag may be a bit bedraggled, but dang it, it's still there.
I loved this essay, especially your point that there is more that unites us than divides us (and I also liked the quote noting that Black and white Americans are more like each other than they are like people from any other country). Living overseas has only reinforced this point for me: We Americans do indeed have a national character, and our friendly openness and willingness to shake things up are sorely needed in the world!
Hah, I did fourth-themed nails too! Basic bishing, ftw!! If I knew how, I'd include a pic, but I don't, so wompwomp. My toddler *loves* them, though, because they were sparkly and had fireworks on them. : P
I never got the hate on the SSB. It's a banger. Easily my third favorite anthem (behind France and the Soviet Union). It's an underrated singalong too.
My biggest problem with the anthem is all the singers who try to Marvin/Whitney it and don't have the talent. Painful.
I used to live in Ireland! The only time I ever had trouble following someone's accent was in Belfast. Part of it felt like a practical joke to me, like this guy was actually speaking gibberish and daring me to call him on it.
Thanks for the Albert Murray reference. I was not familiar with him, but just read his Times obituary, and he seems like an important if sadly neglected figure for our times.
I share your feelings toward the anthem. People glibly dismiss it by fixating on the (completely decontextualized) word "bombs," or with reference to verses in the obscure extended version most people have never heard, or by complaining it is hard to sing. But it is quite stirring, much more so in my opinion than "America the Beautiful" or (ugh) "God Bless America."
I'm a boy so I'm not allowed to do my nails. So jealous.
I went to a college in upstate NY that had a pretty good men's hockey team, with the great majority of the team members from Canada. So the Canadian national anthem was played before every home game, along with the US anthem. I learned it and belted it out with the rest of the fans, and I still like it better than ours:
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
But in 2018, "thy sons" got officially replaced by "of us" to make it gender neutral.
I'm against it, at least until Canadian boys get to do their nails.
"The best answer is really, I’m American. My particulars may be unusual or unique, but a lot of us don’t come from any one place. A lot of us have moved around, or our families are immigrants, or we’ve teetered on a boundary of social class, or we have a foot in two different cultures."
So true. I left my other comment before I finished reading, naturally, but this was a great one. It heartens me every time to remember I'm not alone in still believing in us. Our flag may be a bit bedraggled, but dang it, it's still there.
I loved this essay, especially your point that there is more that unites us than divides us (and I also liked the quote noting that Black and white Americans are more like each other than they are like people from any other country). Living overseas has only reinforced this point for me: We Americans do indeed have a national character, and our friendly openness and willingness to shake things up are sorely needed in the world!
Hah, I did fourth-themed nails too! Basic bishing, ftw!! If I knew how, I'd include a pic, but I don't, so wompwomp. My toddler *loves* them, though, because they were sparkly and had fireworks on them. : P
(Oh, and yours look great, btw!)
I never got the hate on the SSB. It's a banger. Easily my third favorite anthem (behind France and the Soviet Union). It's an underrated singalong too.
My biggest problem with the anthem is all the singers who try to Marvin/Whitney it and don't have the talent. Painful.
I used to live in Ireland! The only time I ever had trouble following someone's accent was in Belfast. Part of it felt like a practical joke to me, like this guy was actually speaking gibberish and daring me to call him on it.
Thanks for the Albert Murray reference. I was not familiar with him, but just read his Times obituary, and he seems like an important if sadly neglected figure for our times.
I share your feelings toward the anthem. People glibly dismiss it by fixating on the (completely decontextualized) word "bombs," or with reference to verses in the obscure extended version most people have never heard, or by complaining it is hard to sing. But it is quite stirring, much more so in my opinion than "America the Beautiful" or (ugh) "God Bless America."
I grew up in Illinois and went to undergrad in Chicago at Uof I-Chicago.
I'm a boy so I'm not allowed to do my nails. So jealous.
I went to a college in upstate NY that had a pretty good men's hockey team, with the great majority of the team members from Canada. So the Canadian national anthem was played before every home game, along with the US anthem. I learned it and belted it out with the rest of the fans, and I still like it better than ours:
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!
But in 2018, "thy sons" got officially replaced by "of us" to make it gender neutral.
I'm against it, at least until Canadian boys get to do their nails.